For those of you who missed it, here's the photo of the fake mechanical fuel injection "lid" that fits over a basic carburetor.
Smith Bites: Faked Out By Bogus Efi
Mitch, Houston TX: The photo on page 73 of the Jan. '07 issue looks more like one of those fake mechanical fuel-injection intakes that fit over a Holley carb, especially since you can see the Holley carb linkage on the side, and there is no linkage going to where the butterflies should be in the manifold. I think these things are as stupid as giant wings on imports and should be forgotten about quickly right along with HEI distributors made to look like magnetos. Otherwise, a great publication like always.
Jeff Smith: Busted! We shot this photo at a recent cruise, where we snapped the photo and then moved on. Then, when the question came in about mechanical fuel injection, I remembered the photo and plugged it into the story without looking at it closely. I could have said "Hey, this was a test to see if you were reading closely," but frankly, that's a cop-out. Mitch, you and at least a dozen other readers caught it, which proves once again that our readers are the sharpest, tuned-in gearheads in the world when it comes to high performance. That makes our job tougher to make sure we deliver accurate information to you every month. But I wouldn't want it any other way. It's just too much fun. So thanks to all our readers who caught the flub. You guys are the best!
Manual On Trans
Ethan Tilton, via CarCraft.com: I have an '01 Chevy Silverado 4x4 with a 4.8L V-8 engine and a five-speed transmission (I think it's an NV3500). It has headers, a cold-air intake, a mass airflow sensor, a throttle-body spacer, dual exhaust, and a Hypertech programmer. My problem is that I can't shift it in to Second gear anymore without having to jam it in or grind the gears. My guess is that the synchronizers are bad in that gear, which was probably caused by my high-rpm shifts into Second. What would be the most cost-effective way to fix this? I spoke with a supposedly reputable transmission shop and was told it would cost around $1,000 to do all the labor and put in all new synchronizers and bearings (gears not included). The shop also said that upgraded synchronizers for this transmission aren't really made. Is that true? It would probably be cheaper to buy a rebuilt tranny than to have this one rebuilt if it has gear damage. Do you know of a place that sells this trans with upgraded parts? I don't want to just put the OEM parts back in because it will probably happen again in the near future. I would really appreciate your advice.
'Cc Quickies
You Know You're Guilty: Raise your hand if you've ever used the hose clamp on the radiator hose as a mounting point for your carb-return spring. Note that this slick installation is NHRA-legal with dual springs. Sharp!
Jeff Smith: We looked into the cost of a rebuilt NV3500 and found Phoenix Remanufactured Transmissions (PRT), which offers a stock rebuild on your transmission for $895. But then you have to add roughly $200-$260 for shipping (depending on where you live). PRT does offer a core refund of $350 on your old trans, but we're not sure about who pays for the shipping. This still ends up costing more than $1,000, but there are other alternatives.
Motive Gear sells all the major parts for this transmission, and because it is a very popular one, parts are affordable. If you've not abused the trans too much and the cluster is still in good shape, the trans could be rebuilt by perhaps only purchasing the gear located on the trans mainshaft. During our search for information on this trans, we didn't find any high-performance parts available. That's not unusual, since this is basically a medium-duty truck transmission.
As a possible alternative, consider looking into taking your truck to a local community college where they offer courses in automotive repair. Often, these colleges take in cars from the street and have their students repair them for only the cost of the parts and a small overhead fee that covers the cost of electricity, fresh rags, and solvent. This would be a way to get your trans rebuilt while avoiding the labor charge, which is a significant percentage of the cost of rebuilding a transmission.